1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a cylindrical combination lock container.
2. Prior Art
Bottles of wine and spirits are often exchanged as gift items between people. Typically a bottle would be gift wrapped or placed in a decorative tote bag or box and then given as a present. Often times higher quality red wines (or scotch whiskeys) require aging to improve their characteristics. The bottle received is usually just set aside or “cellared” for several years. Although many people enjoy receiving wine, as a gift on its own, it is not particularly novel, fun, or unique. Presenting a special bottle of wine as a gift inside of a combination locking game puzzle (requiring a code word for opening) provides a fun and unique experience for both the gift giver and receiver.
Although the focus presented in this patent application centers around a lockable puzzle container for a wine bottle, there are other commercial applications for a locking container of this sort. For instance, in a different form factor the device could be suitable as a lockable storage container for securing medical supplies, pill bottles, etc. in the household. The container might allow medications to be readily accessible on a kitchen table but out of the hands of children. Alternatively, children might enjoy using a container designed as a piggy bank that can be set up with their own personally chosen code word. The container might also have another novel use as decorative locking container for holding cigars on an office desk top. The form factor of the container can have many variations that are different from and not limited to the shape of a bottle.
There are a number of inventions and products on the market related to securing the contents of bottles. The “Bottle Lock Liquor Locker”, patent status unknown, (manufactured by Franklin Machine Products) is a bottle stopper that has three combination dials that when properly aligned will allow removal of the stopper. U.S. Pat. No. 1,358,352 to Wheelock (1920) shows another combination locking closure for an open bottle. Other locking devices that both attach to the bottles and act as theft deterrents are described in US Patent Application US 2006/0043050 A1 to Beldon, Jr. (2006) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,643 to Michael et al. (2003). Many devices and inventions have been designed specifically for securing medicine bottles with a programmable combination locking cap or closure. Such combination locking caps can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,843,007 to Meyer (1974), 5,277,325 to Yan (1994) and 5,284,262 to O'Nan (1994). Again these devices relate more specifically to a locking cap that fits directly onto the open end of ajar or pill bottle.
There are many patented combination locking devices that allow users to set up or allow permutation of the combinations code. Most involve altering or resetting the tumblers indicia (such as numbers, letters, or symbols) relative to the tumbler internal keyway. Such devices are generally found and more closely related to the field of locks and in particular bicycle cable locks and padlocks. Most of the locking devices in which the combination may be set by an individual tend to be complex in nature and have many mechanical parts. U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,653 to Pimpo (2000) shows a tumbler ring that can be disassembled and have individual indicia plates applied into external slots. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,615,191, 4,445,348, and 4,354,365 show several variations of two piece tumbler assemblies that allow inner and outer tumblers to have variable radial positions for changing the code. U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,132 to Benjamin describes a combination locking cap that uses flat circular labels to apply indicia. U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,405 B1 describes as word system and computer algorithm for determining a limited set of useable code words for a combination lock. All of the above locking devices require a significant amount of time, assembly effort, and mechanical aptitude on the part of the end user to take apart the device and reset the combination.
More recently, a cylindrical combination locking device called a Cryptex had been introduced into the market place. The Cryptex has been made popular by author Dan Brown's novel “The Da Vinci Code” and its movie version. The book describes the Cryptex as being a cylindrical device used to secure and conceal small rolled up messages or notes on paper held within. It is also described as being similar to a combination bicycle cable lock. There does not appear to be any evidence that the Cryptex was actually invented by Leonardo Da Vinci, but rather that it was fictitiously conceived by the author. There are several commercial replica versions of the Cryptex device available that consist of a cylindrical device with letter coded tumblers. The Cryptex reproductions have held true to this “end use”, described in the author's book, and have been designed to do little more than hold rolled up paper notes and possibly small articles such as pieces of jewelry. Many of these ornate and “antique-looking” collector's items are quite expensive and are fabricated from metals, stone, wood, or combinations thereof. Some Cryptex designs require the purchasers to contact the manufacturer and provide a custom code word beforehand to allow the engraving of the chosen letters on to the tumblers during manufacturing. Others Cryptex designs provide features that allow resetting of the combination by disassembly and reorientation of two piece tumblers whereby the internal keyways can be radially adjusted relative to the external portion of the tumbler's indicia. This method of varying the indicia for word permutations with two piece tumblers has been well described in the patents above relating to bicycle cable locks and padlocks. The Encrypta Cryptex puzzle, U.S. Patent Application US 2005/0288082 A1 to De la Huerga, uses wooden blocks, spacers, threaded posts, end pieces, to create a Cryptex. The De La Huerga uses an adjustable two piece tumbler design similar in nature to prior art cable locks. The lock body described (similar to an air cylinder assembly), consists of top and bottom sections, or end caps, with and post connectors or stand-offs extending between the two sections. All of the lock body elements of this design are necessary to retain the tumblers. A more desirable configuration would eliminate these components.
Although the above mentioned patents are discussed as prior art (locks designed for re-combination, combination locking closures for threaded medicine bottles, and Cryptex devices for concealing paper notes), none have strong correlation to the device in this application which pertains to a container that fully locks, encloses, and conceals a wine bottle.